It is known as the "city of dreaming spires", a term coined by Matthew Arnold for the harmonious architecture of the university buildings. A major point of interest has always been the sometimes uneasy relationship between "town and gown", which in 1355 resulted in a riot in which several university students were killed (the Saint Scholastica Day Riot). Unlike its great rival, Cambridge, Oxford is an industrial city, particularly associated with car manufacture in the suburb of Cowley.

By the early 20th century Oxford was experiencing rapid industrial and population growth, with the printing and publishing industries becoming well established by the 1920s. Also during that decade a major car building industry was begun by the Morris company.